“Most of my characters are a little…unshackled, let’s say,” said Neil Newbon as he discussed his role as Chase Lowry in Surgent Studios' upcoming psychological horror titleDead Take.He’s not wrong; the award-winning actor and performance capture artist has played roles ranging from the delightfully maniacal to the tortured and complex. InDead Take,Newbon presents a layered look at a man who will do anything to snag the role of a lifetime, while working with director Abubakar Salim and a cast that includes Ben Starr, Jane Perry, and several others.
At an event attended by Game Rant, Newbon explained that he didn’t look at Chase as a dark or unstable character, but simply as a person first and foremost. “I don’t play villains, I don’t play heroes,” he said, then clarified: “I don’t play these very specific titles because I think, if you do, you’re already judging your character, and you’re leading to a decision you may not be able to make.” Newbon is no stranger to playing characters that defy conventional ‘hero’ and ‘villain’ labels—most notablyBaldur’s Gate 3’sAstarion—and, with Chase Lowry, he aims for a similar nuance as a man who cares deeply for his friend while also fighting him tooth and nail for a potentially career-defining film role.
Newbon Sees Chase As Complex, Not Simply Mad
Trailers forDead Takeshow Chase andVinny Monroe (Ben Starr)being deeply affected by the pressure of life in Hollywood, with video clips featuring them wordlessly shouting or desperately declaring that they will do anything to be cast in director Duke Cain’s next movie. There is definitely an undercurrent of madness to Chase, but Newbon ensured that his portrayal of Chase focused on more than just the character’s somewhat unhinged nature. As he said,
“You can’t really play mad. You have to play the aspects of what madness manifests as—why you got into this position in the first place… Despite where the story goes, I think it’s important as an actor to feel authentic in what we do and to feel authentic in character choices, the ones you’re given and the ones you make.”
The actor has played many “darker” characters in his lengthy career, such asResident Evil Village’sKarl Heisenberg and his recent role asLumacchio inLies of P’s OvertureDLC. With Chase, though, Newbon felt that he was not simply “dark,” but an extremely grounded and fascinating character to play. He praised Abubakar Salim’s direction, feeling that Chase was an extremely realistic portrayal of someone dealing with the constant pressure of life as a struggling actor.
Is Chase “Unhinged?” It’s Up To Players To Decide
“All I was doing was playing a character, the way the script presented him,” Newbon concluded; however, he did reveal that he and Starr dida large amount of improvising when recordingDead Take,including an entire monologue that ultimately appears in the game. “This is a person. This is what we go through,” he said. Newbon then continued: “It’s the audience that has the reaction to how the story goes, so if you think he’s dark and unhinged, cool.”
Players will be able to decide for themselves what they think of Chase, Vinny, and the rest of theDead Takecast, which includesAlanah Pearce, Travis Willingham, Matthew Mercer, and several other actors, very soon. The game, which Surgent Studios first revealed in early June, will be launching on July 31 for PC. Salim also revealed that the game will be discounted for the first several days following its release, so interested players can experienceDead Takeright after its launch.
